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Chamber and regional EDD brief commissioners on tourism, loans and brownfields; EDC warns of possible state funding cuts
Summary
Chamber of Commerce and regional economic development representatives updated commissioners on tourism promotion, cooperative advertising, loans and brownfields work; county economic development leaders warned state ADO funding could be cut roughly 50 percent and described a new cross‑agency 'springboard' cooperative to pursue larger projects.
The Skamania County Board of Commissioners heard quarterly updates from the Chamber of Commerce and the Mid‑Columbia Economic Development District (MCEDD) on tourism promotion, small‑business lending and brownfields planning.
Chamber update: Angie Martin, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, told the board the chamber holds a county contract to provide tourism promotion services and is updating print and web materials for the spring season. The chamber is offering a new cooperative advertising program (Datify) that halves a $5,000 buy‑in for small tourism businesses and is organizing seasonal events including the May "Sip & Stroll" and a business resource fair. "We do have a contract with the county to provide tourism promotion services," Martin told the board.
Regional and local economic development: Jessica Miller and Brianna Kim from the Mid‑Columbia Economic Development District described MCEDD’s five‑county work—loan programs, brownfields grants and technical assistance for infrastructure projects. MCEDD staff said the agency manages revolving loan funds, helped secure brownfields assessment funding used on local properties and manages regional planning documents that federal grant programs reference when awarding funds.
EDC finance update and funding risks: Cindy Bradley, EDC finance manager, told commissioners the county’s scenic‑area loan pool administered via USDA remains difficult to access and that the EDC has been unable to close several otherwise qualified loans. Bradley also warned that proposed state action could cut ADO (economic development) funding by about 50 percent, a change that would substantially reduce available grant and program dollars for local economic assistance.
Springboard cooperative: Bradley and other presenters described a new cross‑agency cooperative—the "springboard" group—that aims to coordinate counties, cities, school districts, ports and other stakeholders to vet and pursue large, countywide economic projects. The group is still organizing bylaws and membership but the presenters said it is intended to pool expertise and funding to pursue multi‑million‑dollar projects that no single local entity could deliver alone.
Brownfields and downtown redevelopment: MCEDD staff described how Brownfields assessment grants can fund site assessments and planning work that clears the way for redevelopment; staff cited a local former industrial site where assessment work helped move property toward sale and redevelopment.
What’s next: Chamber staff will deliver a written first‑quarter report to the board and continue outreach to businesses countywide. MCEDD and the county EDC said they will keep the board informed about loan‑fund availability, brownfields opportunities and the springboard group's next steps. Commissioners asked staff to coordinate when proposals require county sign‑off or letters of support.
